Best NEMA 17 Stepper Motors

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NEMA 17 describes a mounting flange, not a motor, so two steppers with the same designation can differ by a factor of three in what they will do. Holding torque is the first number to read and it is quoted in newton centimeters: a 42 N.cm motor in a 38 to 48 millimeter body is the general-purpose choice for X and Y axes and a Z lead screw, while a 13 N.cm short-body motor exists for a different reason entirely, which is to keep mass off a direct-drive extruder where every gram of toolhead weight shows up as ringing in your prints. Do not fit the small one to an axis and do not fit the big one to a moving toolhead. Rated current is the second number and it has to suit your driver, since motors in this class run from about 1.0 up to 1.7 amps and setting a driver above what a motor is rated for cooks the windings while setting it below loses torque and causes skipped steps. Body length correlates directly with torque, so a 48 millimeter motor pulls harder than a 38 millimeter one at the same current and also weighs more. Step angle is effectively fixed at 1.8 degrees, meaning 200 full steps per revolution, and microstepping in the driver does the rest. Four-lead bipolar wiring is standard; count the wires if a listing is vague. Geared versions with a planetary reduction around five to one trade speed for large torque gains and suit an extruder or a heavy Z, not a fast axis.